Before the Winter War
by Totoromo
Summary: As the Winter War is approaching, people are thinking about who is important to them, and a party brings them all together. YAOI/YURI, T only. ByaXRen, IchiXHitsu, ShunxUki,IkkaxYumi, ShuuxKira, RukiaxOri, and more.
1. Introduction

**Title: **Before the Winter War

**Fandom: **Bleach

**Rating: **Teen

**Disclaimer: **Bleach is created and owned by Tite Kubo, I merely pay homage to characters and a story I love.

**Warning: **YAOI/YURI, only as far as kissing. Mild cursing. a little angst and some drinking.

**Description: **The seireitei always held a party on Founding Day, and it tended to be a little wild. This time however, as the Winter War is approaching, people are thinking about their mortality, and what (or who) is important to them. Romance.

Each pairing is labeled in the chapter title, so if there's someone you can't stand you can skip ahead. All the chapters continue from each other, but are fairly self-contained. The focus is on what is driving these people towards each other and how they get together, actual sexing is left to the devices of the characters behind their private doors; though we will peek in on them in the morning. Note: Hanataro x Yachiru pairing is not romantic (for obvious reasons). However, I'm pretty sure she's setting her sights on him. Run, Hanataro, run! Can you imagine having Kenpachi as a father-in-law?

(Also, I have no issue with hard M sex scenes, they're just not in this)

* * *

**Chapters:**

The Party

Ichigo x Toshiro part 1

Ikkaku x Yumichika

Byakuya x Renji part 1

Hanataro x Yachiru

Rukia x Orihime

Byakuya x Renji part 2

Ichigo x Toshiro part 2

Shunsui x Jushiro

Kenpachi

Shuuhei x Kira

The Morning After


	2. Party

**The Party**

* * *

"Of course we don't know the actual day, it was so long ago," Rukia rolled her eyes at Ichigo's question.

"Why in winter then?" he asked.

"Getting drunk in winter keeps you warm!" suggested Rangiku enthusiastically.

"Look, who cares? It's Founding Day, and you've been invited to the seireitei's annual party," Renji said. "Free food, free drinks, and hopefully a couple of idiots will get drunk enough to go up on stage."

"There's a stage this year?" questioned Yumichika.

"Yeah, someone suggested having an open mic," Renji grinned. "I think it's going to be the most memorable part of the evening."

"Like you'll remember any of it," Ikkaku snorted.

"Look who's talking!"

"So why are Orihime and I going?" asked Ichigo.

"You should be proud to have been invited, not even all soul reapers get to go to this party, only seated officers and above," Rukia explained a little impatiently.

"Yeah well, they're probably just trying to get on my good side after the whole trying to kill me and all of my friends thing," Ichigo didn't really want to waste time going to a party when he should be training, but Orihime had seemed pretty exited about going so he had been roped in to it.

"Why me then?" piped up Orihime.

"Oh," Rukia looked away for a minute. "Well that was because I asked them to invite you. I get to go because my brother invited me, and when Captain Ukitake asked if there was anyone I thought should be invited, I suggested you."

"Thanks!" smiled Orihime. She paused for a moment, finger to her lips, "I wonder what kind of party food the soul society has?"

* * *

When they arrived at the party, Rangiku wandered off to a small group of female shinigami that was gathered around an ice sculpture. The dress code for the party had always been haphazard, some opting for formal wear and others wearing their uniforms. Rangiku had taken the opportunity to wear her newest acquisition, an elaborate light purple kimono. She really wanted to wear her pink one, but the risk of looking similar to Captain Kyouraku was too high.

The women chatted, complimenting each other's clothing and hair, when they got down to business. "I heard," said Rangiku in a low whisper, "that Ichigo Kurosaki has never been kissed."

"What?"

It hardly seemed believable to them.

"Well, you have to remember that humans age differently than us. In his world he's just barely becoming an adult."

Surprisingly it was Nemu who came up with the suggestion, "an experiment in human sexuality" is what she called it. The rest just called it a bet. Whoever got a kiss (or kissed) Ichigo first would win. Rangiku had suggest free booze for the winner, but had been turned down. Instead, the winner wouldn't have to bring snacks for the Shinigami Women's Association all year. The prize wasn't that big, but it was pride that was on the line, and each woman had a different idea of how to go about winning.

When they had approached Rukia about the idea, she had declined throwing her hat into the ring herself, but had offered some helpful tips. Rangiku had her own ideas, remembering how red Ichigo had turned when she had semi-flashed him while trying to convince him to let her stay at his house. When it came right down to it, she had the goods, and the other ladies didn't. It was just that simple. No one could turn her down!

Nanao would never admit it, but the idea of a man who had never even been kissed intrigued her. She imagined him being shy and retreating in the wake of an advance from a woman…she blushed, and then looked determined. It should be a chase right? Why should men always get the fun of pursuit? She was pretty sure that was what her man-whore of a captain liked the most, regardless of how often he ogled a woman's body.

Isane told herself she wouldn't get involved, but that if given a chance she would make a move. She sighed and wished that Ichigo was taller.

Nemu briefly considered poison or a mind altering drug, but she didn't think it would be that difficult to seduce the substitute shinigami. Perhaps just a little alcohol to make things smoother. There were two problems with that solution however. One being that no one with half a mind would willingly drink something that the lieutenant of squad twelve gave them, the other being that she was fairly sure that he would refuse anything alcoholic due to his age. She was able to convince Kiyone, who was not participating in the experiment and had turned crimson when asked, to assist her. While Kiyone was siding with her sister, assuming that her sister even wanted to win the bet, she did realize that plying Ichigo with alcohol would work in everyone's favor.


	3. Ichigo x Toshiro part 1

**Ichigo x Toshiro part 1**

* * *

Ichigo had left Orihime at one of the buffet tables, after getting assurance from Rukia that she would protect the large chested girl from the predatory looking men who had been gaping at her since she walked in the door. "Hello!" a young shinigami said, sauntering up to the very enchanting looking human. He quickly followed it up with, "OW!" as Rukia kicked him in forcefully in the shins. "I was just," he began. She kicked him again.

"Rukia," Orihimi said as he limped away, "I think he was just trying to be friendly."

"Whoops," said Rukia, "Guess I just got carried away!" she glared at the group of men milling around nearby, to let them know that she absolutely was planning on getting carried away if any of them came within shin-kicking range.

Ichigo was looking at one of the ice sculptures when he assaulted from behind with a energetic hug from Rangiku. "Hi doll!" she said, deliberately smashing her boobs into his back.

Extricating himself with care as to not accidentally brush against anything that would make him blush he asked, "Drunk already?"

Rangiku acted affronted to even be asked such a question. She then tried to grab his ass. One moment she was leaning in towards a horrified Ichigo, and the next she was outside near the railing.

"Thanks," said Ichigo when Nanao returned from her drop off.

"I've gotten quite good at baby sitting because of my captain," she explained. "Speaking of which…"

"My sweet little Nanao, why are you hiding from me?" Captain Kyoraku asked, peering over Ichigo, behind whom Nanao had take refuge.

"Sorry Shunsui," Ichigo said, blocking him, "but fair is fair."

Jushiro laughed at the use of his good friend's first name. Ichigo almost never stuck with formalities or honorifics.

Shunsui looked confused. "She helped him stay away from Rangiku's claws, and now he's returning the favor," Jushiro explained.

"I don't have claws," Shunsui said, with his most charming smile.

"Wandering hands are just as bad," Nanao said, still hiding behind Ichigo, her hands lightly on his shoulders.

Jushiro pulled his friend away to a set of lounge tables in the middle of the large common room. "That was odd," he said.

"Unfortunately, not really," Shunsui said with a sigh. Nanao never let his wandering hands out of her sight.

"Hum," chuckled Jushiro, "Actually, I was talking about the fact that it's like someone threw catnip on our substitute shinigami over there."

"It was just Rangiku," Shunsui said. That almost didn't really count.

"And Nanao," countered Jushiro.

Shunsui was thinking back to earlier that day. He had ducked away from Nanao to hide behind a very pretty clerk. He had his hands lightly on her shoulders as he mockingly cowered at her back, "beautiful woman, please protect me from my crabby lieutenant!" They had both laughed, Nanao had gotten irritated and left, and then he struck up a conversation with the woman…he broke out of his reverie with a jolt of realization and looked behind him in shock. Nanao was chatting up Ichigo with a pleasant smile on her face. Not just pleasant, an encouraging smile that almost welcomed a come on; a smile that he had never seen her have (not on him at least, the only person who counted).

"Don't stress about it, I was just teasing you," said Jushiro cheerfully, "Rukia told me a little while ago that it's some sort of flirting contest involving Kurosaki."

"Oh." Well, that was different. Of course she would win at that! Squad eight could never lose at a flirting contest, it would be an absolute loss of ego. What if one of those squad twelve geeks won? Or worse, some squad eleven goon?

Now that he knew about it, Shunsui was determined to help. If Nanao had known that, she would have, correctly, lowered the possibility of her winning the bet.

"Hi again Ichigo!" Shunsui said, suddenly popping up next to Nanao. "I just wanted you to know that there's absolutely nothing going on between Nanao and I! Not that I haven't tried! She's hard to catch though. Well, maybe not for some people. The point is, she's free! Well, not free, that sounds bad, it's not like men don't want to go after her, she just hits them all! Not hard though, at least not the first time…actually she probably won't hit you at all!"

Nanao gave him an icy gaze and then grabbed him by his collar and dragged him off to a corner to yell at him for awhile.

Ichigo was wondering if maybe just all members of the thirteen court guard needed to be medicated. Did they have psychiatrists in the soul society?

A small woman approached him nervously and tried to introduce herself. He took pity on her. "I remember you," he said with a friendly smile. "You're Kiyone Kotetsu, one of the third seats on Ukitake's squad."

She gaped at him. "I can't believe you remembered my name, no one does."

"I know my sisters hate just being known as 'Ichigo's little sister', and I bet you probably get that a lot with your sister being a lieutenant," he explained.

"I've seen you talk with Captain Ukitake of course, and we've been introduced, but still, people just usually forget," she looked at the drinks in her hand blankly.

"Oh yeah, I was bringing Captain Ukitake a drink, but he already has one now, do you want one?" she offered one to him. Nemu had told her to make sure to bring two so that it would look less suspicious.

"What is it? I don't drink alcohol," explained Ichigo.

"Oh, it's just punch," she lied. It would have been more accurate to have stated, "I really have no idea, but it's supposed to not be poison, so best wishes!"

In truth it really was just alcohol. In a higher quantity than would normally be found in a seasonal alcoholic punch, but it would not have been incredibly potent to a more veteran drinker. Nemu didn't want him falling down drunk after all, just tipsy enough to hinder decision making ability.

It was good for Kiyone that the drinks weren't poison, since she completely forgot what it was and started drinking from the cup in her hand as soon as Ichigo began drinking from his. He had brushed up against her hand when getting his drink from her, and for some reason that, along with those chocolaty eyes of his, that wild hair, his…wait, wasn't she supposed to be doing something. She stared at her drink doubtfully.

"It's a little bitter," Ichigo commented, thinking maybe that's why she had stopped drinking.

"Uh, yeah," Kiyone was wondering how much she should have trusted Nemu about the whole 'not-poison' issue.

"Darling!" Rangiku was back baby! She had realized that the missing ingredient was throwing about a gallon of glitter down her cleavage, and was now here to claim her rightful prize.

"Uh, 'scus me," Ichigo said, quickly guzzling the punch and running in a random direction.

Great, was this supposed to be a dance floor?

"Ichigo!" some girl that looked vaguely familiar called out, coming over. "Let's dance!"

He was saved from having to give a response (and trying to think of a name) when another woman, someone he was very sure he hadn't ever met, slung her hands around his waist. "He already said he'd dance with me!" mystery lady said. Absolutely not possible. Ichigo was very sure he would remember promising to dance with someone who had a voice that called to mind images of very large linebackers. Not to be offensive to woman with throaty voices, it's just that he would remember saying he would dance with Ms. Smokes-Two-packs-a-Day.

* * *

So he ended up sitting on the floor in the closet. It was actually a fairly nice closet that Renji had pointed out when he'd seen the wild eyed look in his friend's face. There was even a high window that let moonlight through.

"I cannot believe that you are truly _that_ bad with sensing spiritual pressure," a voice said beside him.

"Argh! Ghost!" Ichigo quickly backed away from the phantom.

"Ichigo," Captain Hitsugaya chided. "Are you drunk?'

"No, I just had punch," a calmer Ichigo replied.

Toshiro leaned over closer to him for a moment, white hair visible in the moonlight. "I can smell it on your breath." Toshiro had become an expert on things of this nature in his tenure as captain of the tenth squad, or more specifically as a commanding officer to Rangiku Matsumoto.

"What? Don't drink, how did drink get drunk?" Huh, that was a lot of D's, and he was pretty sure he had skipped some…or added some…or something.

Toshiro sighed. "Obviously you don't usually drink if you're this much of a light weight."

"That woman! She told me it was just punch! All the women…it is just more okish to just touchish people here or what? I'm not ok with it," at least Ichigo was making moderately more sense now.

"No, actually I would say it's less appropriate here," said Toshiro. "However, you are a human, as well as only a substitute shinigami, maybe they feel that gives them more leeway to be bold."

There was a pause.

"Have you ever kissed anyone?" the young captain asked.

"WHAT?"

"Gesh, calm down, it's just a question," Toshio was obviously waiting for a reply.

"No," Ichigo finally answered. Was this entire day set up just to humiliate him?

"Did Rangiku know that?"

"Uh, yeah it came up for some reason. I think I was telling her to knock off throwing herself at me because I hadn't even kissed a girl before or something." Ichigo also remembered the squeals of laughter. It wasn't _that_ funny.

"A couple of years ago Rangiku told them that I had never been kissed and I spent all night avoiding women I didn't even know trying to fall into my arms," Toshiro explained.

Well, that made Ichigo feel better. He wasn't paranoid after all, there really was some sort of plot to humiliate him! The best part was that he wasn't even the first. At least he wasn't a captain like Toshiro was. He supposed that maybe as a captain he'd have to talk to some of them, or at least not actively bolt from the room. Then again, why _was _Captain Hitsugaya hiding a closet?

"Have you still not been kissed?" whoops, that wasn't the question Ichigo had wanted to ask. He hoped that Toshiro couldn't see how red he had just gotten. "Sorry. Let's try that again; why are you in a closet?"

"I found this back then, it's actually semi-shielded with seki seki rock which helps hide my spiritual pressure," Ichigo could see Toshiro gesture to the small room. "It must have been part of a different structure at one time and then incorporated into this building much later."

"Why are you hiding here now though?"

"I don't really like crowds," admitted Toshiro. "I come to the parties because I have to, but I don't like staying for too long. I found that if I hide and then show myself again at the end everyone is happy, and I don't have to pretend that I want to hear boring stories about what everyone is planning on doing for their winter vacations or allow myself to be mauled by random passing women."

"Do you mind if I share it for awhile?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes, go ahead," Toshiro said.

Ichigo continued, "Honestly, I was bored out of my mind even before I was getting chased around. I only came because I didn't want Orihime to have to go alone and because everyone thinks I'm being too gloomy. For some reason Kisuke Urahara seemed to think the idea of me continuing training instead of traveling across worlds to do nothing more than eat food and get stared at was a sign of depression. I'm not trying to make people upset with my attitude, it's just that there's a lot we need to do, a lot I need to do."

They waited in the silvery dark in silence. Eventually, Toshiro spoke again, "You know, you and I are similar in some ways."

Ichigo said nothing.

"I was able to master abilities and powers very early compared to everyone around me. I was the only person even remotely my age at the academy, so I didn't really make friends. Not that I wanted to, I was busy. Due to my abilities I was advanced to Captain at the earliest age in history. I see that look in your eye that you get sometimes, it's a responsibility you are putting on yourself, like the responsibility that I have. Despite the time we've lived, we're probably actually around the same age as far as our development."

"I know that you have a very strong bond to your friends," said Ichigo, thinking about what he had been told about Toshiro's childhood Momo. He was even very protective of Rangiku, though his lieutenant obviously drove him crazy on a daily basis.

"I'm fairly sure that you and I have the same opinion about the justice and social rule of the soul society," said Toshiro.

"If by that you mean more or less completely ignore certain rules and actively disobey orders on a regular basis," Ichigo replied, flippantly.

"Hm, actually I do," Toshiro said with a bitter laugh.

"Yeah, you get it worse than I do since you actually signed up for all of this crap," agreed Ichigo. "Why did you join anyways? Just to improve your strength like Kenpachi?"

"I…my power was endangering my grandmother," Toshiro said softly. "I joined to learn how to control myself, and the speed in which I learned drew attention. My having become a captain so young made her proud."

"Mama's boy," said Ichigo. Toshiro couldn't see in the dim light that he was smiling.

"You could say that," Toshiro said coldly, taking offense.

"Me too," Ichigo said, surprising Toshiro. He couldn't remember ever seeing the Kurosaki's mom. Yuzu and Karin, that crazy dad…

"The friends that knew me back then tell me that the day she died was the day that I stopped smiling," Ichigo said seriously.

"What happened?" asked Toshiro gently.

Ichigo didn't know if it was because he had recently faced what had happened, or if it was because he seemed oddly at ease with Toshiro, but instead of clamming up like he had done when Rukia had asked the same thing for the first time, he was able to answer.

"She was murdered by a hollow. I was like you I guess, my power endangered my family. A hollow sensed my spiritual pressure and attacked me; she saved me at the cost of her own life. I was just a child, I didn't even understand what I was seeing as it was killing her."

Ichigo could feel Toshiro shift towards him. He felt soft hair against his face, and then Toshiro's head on his chest. It seemed completely natural to wrap his arms around him, and sit there in the darkness, saying nothing. Ichigo wasn't crying, and Toshiro wasn't offering pity or sympathy. He didn't say comforting words like Rukia had tried, but whatever it was, was enough.


	4. Ikkaku x Yumichika

**Ikkaku x Yumichika**

* * *

"Wait a sec," suggested Ikkaku at the door.

Yumichika turned around, questioning.

"I got you something," Ikkaku said, his hands behind his back.

The look he got from Yumichika made him happy he had remembered that people sometimes did this. He wasn't a big gift giving person anyways, and on Founding Day if people did give gifts they were small and personal. Baked goods, cards, poems, perhaps some fresh produce. Ikkaku removed his hands from behind him to playfully show nothing, allowing Yumichika to be confused for a moment before reaching forward and grabbing both of Yumichika's hands, looking deeply into his eyes and softly kissing him.

* * *

It had taken a long time to convince Yumichika that it wasn't that Ikkaku was ashamed of him, it was just that he was a private person and not the type to show physical affection in public. It had been one of the things they had fought about the most in the beginning, before Yumichika realized he was just going to have to let this one thing go.

Yumichika was the opposite in that he loved public attention of almost any kind. Anyone in doubt of that could take a good look, or two or three, at the feathers he very carefully placed at his right eye each morning.

"Those can't possibly stay that way all day," Kenpachi had complained the first day he had worn them. "You look like a bird."

"A pretty bird?' asked Yumichika, never afraid to dive for compliments.

"Super pretty colorful bird!" Yachiru had agreed in awe.

Captain Zaraki was wrong. Somehow, even in intense battle, long away missions, and heavy rain, Yumichika's eye adornments always remained exquisitely placed.

* * *

"Let's go in," said Ikkaku, moving forward, his right hand still holding Yumichika's left.

"Sure," Yumichika grinned, glowing.

For Yumichika, the night was perfect. Ikkaku never left his side, constantly placing a hand at the small of his back to guide him across the room, or giving his shoulder a squeeze. However, the absolute best part were all of the compliments, which Ikkaku whispered into his ear all night. "I love the way your eyes are sparkling right now," Ikkaku said softly, escorting him to a new group of people. That part wasn't going unnoticed either. Instead of firmly lodging himself at the nearest table serving sake, Ikkaku was actually talking to people. Yumichika would even go as far as saying that he was mingling. He wasn't going as far as pretending he actually liked the people he was talking to, but he wasn't actively giving them death glares.

They made a pit stop at some divans that had been set up under a wide array of landscape windows, where it seems their captain had set up shop for the night. "If you're planning on getting drunk enough to forget that you had to come, you're going to have to get more," joked Ikkaku.

To the average eye, the mass of bottles would seem to be enough to stock a small bar. Then again, Captain Zaraki was about the size of a small bar. Ikkaku and Yumichika knew him well enough to know that he wasn't quite as huge as his uniform and attitude made him appear, but that didn't prevent most people from cowering when they saw his shadow approach.

"Drink with me," he held a glass to Ikkaku.

Ikkaku looked at it, and then at Yumichika. "That didn't sound like a question," said Yumichika, "I'll leave you to have a little fun but I'm not letting go for long."

Honestly, if it hadn't been their captain asking, Yumichika wouldn't have even thought about relinquishing his time with Ikkaku. Yumichika had a dirty little secret, well not so much dirty as extremely vain. Not only did he enjoy compliments, but he _really _enjoyed compliments. The sheer abundance of small touches, knowing smiles, and pleasant things being said to him from his normally tongue tied and reluctant lover had been driving him wild. Just before they had seen the captain, Ikkaku had lightly run his fingers through Yumichika's hair, wondering aloud how it could be so thick and so soft, and it had only been through the strongest of willpower that Yumichika has resisted throwing him to the floor.

A break would give him a chance to cool down. If small things like holding hands in public usually made him nervous, Yumichika figured that ripping off Ikkaku's shirt with his teeth was definitely going overboard.

"Thanks for your suggestion, Captain," Ikkaku said once Yumichika had left hearing distance.

"Geez Ikkaku, at least call me Kenpachi when I'm getting drunk," Kenpachi corrected. "Being called Captain now just reminds me of how much responsibility I supposedly have during the rest of the week."

"What the hell responsibility would that be?" Ikkaku asked, grabbing some more sake.

"Uh," Kenpachi paused, "There's probably something, maybe responsibility to not kill that super cheery morning person that tries to bring me tea every day?"

"Ouch, you should delegate that one. Make Yumichika not kill him."

Kenpachi snorted into his glass. Not many people could get a chuckle out of him, but Ikkaku could say things that would make the rest of the squad turn green and their captain burst out in raucous laughter. Kenpachi laughing always made people cringe too. He didn't take it personally, he knew that it was probably hard to tell his "that was amusing" laugh from his "I will find it amusing to see the inside of your stomach" laugh.

"Hey wait, what suggestion?" asked Kenpachi, going back to Ikkaku's original point.

"I was waiting for Yumichika to get ready, we were lounging in the office. You kicked the paperwork Yumichika had organized just to be an ass," Ikkaku described.

"Heh," Kenpachi thought back. Something about Ikkaku wanting to give Yumichika a gift…he had made a joke about Ikkaku needing to get gifts for his _girlfriend _and something about having to hold Yumichika's hands while he cried…

"That was a joke," he said finally. Actually, he had tried to make it an insult.

"Eh, worked anyways," Ikkaku said with a smile.

* * *

At first Ikkaku was amused with his friend's reactions to letting them know he was dating Yumichika, but as the day went he became progressively grumpier. The responses came in two varieties; general happiness/joy (which he was grateful for), and confusion.

"But, weren't you two already together?" asked Renji.

"STOP ASKING THAT! No. No, I'm not gay…wait, I mean, I'm dating a guy now so yeah, but I wasn't before, or was…gesh…" Ikkaku took a break. It seemed like he had having this same conversation with all of his friends.

"We were just friends. He liked me forever…"

"Loved!" Yumichika chimed in.

"Uh," Ikkaku blushed. "Alright, he tells me he loves me, life goes on. Still just friends at that point? Get it?"

"But, you lived together," Rangiku said through a mouthful of rice.

"You asked if anything was going on, I said no. What no one believed me?" said Ikkaku, moving around the table in the officers' mess hall in irritation.

"Well, I assumed that you wanted it secret," replied Kira.

"Fine. Whatever. We're together now, that's the end story," Ikkaku finished.

"What? No, you have to tell them the whole story," Yumichika sighed. "…of how I finally won your love! Also, a list of why you love me, personality wise and physically. Oh and our first night togeth…" That was where Ikkaku had drawn the line.

"Yofffnooifyofffjustkeeepppff," Yumichika continued through Ikkaku's hand.

"What?" he removed it from Yumichika's mouth.

"I was trying to say that if you leave your hand there I'm just going to lick it." Ikkaku practically fell over backward.

As funny as it was for all of their friends, everyone was a little relieved when the two of them had at least kind of settled down. Yumichika still relayed more personal information that Ikkaku was comfortable with, but not in front of him. Ikkaku tried to not visibly stiffen whenever Yumichika showed him affection in public. He had vowed to do more than just "not freak out" when he had discovered a tear stained Yumichika passed out drunk over the table in their living quarters.

Ikkaku could admit to himself he had a really bad problem of zoning out when someone was talking for too long. Yumichika liked talking for too long. Obviously, he had zoned out too often though, because something was definitely wrong and he hadn't noticed.

"I wish I could make you love me," Yumichika had cried into Ikkaku's shoulders.

"What? That's just ridiculous," Ikkaku had comforted.

"In public you pull away from me like you can't stand to have anyone know that we're together. You're ashamed because I'm a man and because…"

Ikkaku had just kissed him. "You're more likely to be ashamed of hanging out with me, I'm probably not nearly beautiful enough for you," he teased.

"I'm being serious," Yumichika kicked at him.

"I'm not good at being serious like this. Don't cry, I'm an idiot. Good enough?"

"Only if you mean it."

"Absolutely," he pulled Yumichika closer to him. "I'll work on it ok? Besides, I need to learn to keep you closer so that all these vultures will know to keep their hands and eyes to themselves."

Yumichika's eyes glowed, he liked when Ikkaku was possessive.

* * *

"Hey Captain, thanks for the drinks," Ikkaku said, getting up. Unknown to Yumichika, he had long ago figured out some of his partner's more unusual kinks. He wasn't about to let Yumi cool down for too long.

Kenpachi sighed at the use of his title. Oh well.

* * *

"Hey love," Ikkaku said throatily into Yumichika's ear as he wrapped his arms around him from behind.

"Mmmmmm," Yumichika thought. Wait, did he actually say that aloud? He looked at the group people he had been chatting with. Yup, definitely aloud. Some embarrassed looks of course, and a couple expressions that he truly appreciated, ones of pure envy. Hm, maybe prance his Ikkaku around a little bit more, make a few more people so jealous they could die, and then push him against that wall right there and…

He felt himself being led away. When he had subdued his fantasy long enough to finally pay attention, he realized he was on the dance floor. Ikkaku can't seriously want to dance with him could he? He had been pretty sure that even with a zanpakuto at his throat, Ikkaku would never walk onto a dance floor.

The music started, and he felt Ikkaku's arms around him, holding him far more closely than any of the other couples, far closer than appropriate. He could tell that all eyes were on them, and how could they not be? Ikkaku had always had a very particular radiance, a charisma that you couldn't look away from, not that Yumichika ever had. Not even halfway through the song he whispered hoarsely into his lover's ear, in a voice thick with need, "Please…please just get me away…I need…to be alone with you…" which was what Ikkaku had wanted all along.


	5. Byakuya x Renji part 1

**Byakuya x Renji part 1**

* * *

Renji was proud of himself. He was managing to be next to his captain while not being an idiot. He could have sworn that there was some sort of proximity device around Captain Kuchiki that automatically decreased Renji's intelligence if he got too close; too close being "in the room". He could also swear that every time he thought, "This would be the absolute worst time to run into Captain Kuchiki," the man appeared like magic. It had to be magic, that or the hand of an invisible but easily amused god. How else to explain how in the world his captain had appeared in road outside a bar in the middle of a known rowdy district at 3am, JUST in time to see Renji run down the street in a revealing dress and silk tights. The chances something like that happening naturally were far too astronomical.

It had been a dare, he had been drunk, and he had really considered the dare to run down a deserted street at 3am dressed like a woman to be not much of a challenge. Shuuhei swore up and down that he had no idea that Byakuya Kuchiki was around, and Renji believed him, because even _his_ friends weren't _that _sadistic. Maybe his friends would mess with him like that if he had a captain like Captain Ukitake. That captain would just laugh it off, and probably had seen worse from his good friend Captain Kyoraku on any given evening. Captain Kuchiki, however, could shut down laughter at a children's birthday party.

The lieutenant of squad twelve approached Renji, looking annoyed. "Have you seen the substitute shinigami Ichigo Kurasaki recently?" Nemu asked.

"I am not positive of his current whereabouts." Renji said, very formally.

Nemu stared at him for a moment before continuing on, making a bow to Captain Kuchiki as she passed.

Byakuya raised an eyebrow. "Interesting word choice," he intoned.

"I would never lie in front of you," Renji explained.

"I see," said Byakuya, and he did. "You were correct then. Neither of us know where he is for certain, though I would have added that I suppose he is in that closet in that corner since that is where I saw you put him."

There was a pause. "May I inquire as to why Ichigo is hiding from Captain Kurotushi's lieutenant?"

Renji wondered how formal he should be at things like this. He hadn't really had a chance to be at a party with his captain before. Supposedly he wasn't on duty, but he was still wearing his uniform which made him feel like he was. He decided to go half way.

"The women made a bet that involves them kissing Ichigo. He's been trying to wait it out in the closet," Renji answered. That was ok, right? A little more casual, but not disrespectful.

"Not Rukia?" Byakuya bristled.

"Absolutely not!" Renji agreed, reaching for his zanpakuto automatically, before remembering he had checked it at the door. The sereitei had long since learned that high levels of alcohol content necessitated a decrease in deadly weapon content for there to be a low body count at the end of the evening.

"Good, something we can agree on," Byakuya stated, pleased with his lieutenant's reaction. "I've been ill at ease since she's been staying with him."

"She's actually staying in his bedroom," Renji revealed.

"What?" Byakuya was retaining his calm façade but internally planning out several thoroughly unpleasant things to do to Ichigo.

"She stays in his closet, which offended me until I realized that it meant she was separate from him when he sleeps," Renji was oblivious to the anger spike he had caused in his superior with the word "closet".

"However, I am sure that nothing is going on between them physically at least," he continued.

Byakuya gave Renji a questioning glance.

"I show up at all hours, day or night, never knocking, just bursting in through the window above his bed," Renji stopped for a moment when he realized that his captain might think he had the manners of a farm animal, which was what Ichigo was always yelling at him during his impromptu visits.

"Well warranted," approved Byakuya.

That got a smile from Renji. It seemed so rare that he actually did something right in front of his captain.

Byakuya felt himself respond in kind, but stopped before the smile hit his lips.

"If you do happen to see your friend," Nemu said, having apparently popped up from nowhere. "Perhaps you should caution him to sit down."

"Why is that?" asked Byakuya.

"He has unknowingly had what his system will consider to be a large amount of alcohol," and with this answer she left.

"That would be why you don't accept drinks from people in squad twelve," Renji said to her retreating back.

"Are you aware that Captain Hitsugaya routinely uses that closet to hide during parties as well?" Byakuya mentioned casually.

Renji stared. No he had not.

"How long would you say Ichigo has been in there?"

"It might be 45 minutes by now," Renji answered.

"I wonder what they are up to?"

His captain said it flatly, and yet the implication was so very obvious that Renji snorted a little. "Well, that would sure end our concerns about Rukia," he said, starting to giggle despite himself.

Captain Kuchiki tried to not notice that his lieutenant had an adorably girlish giggle.


	6. Hanataro x Yachiru

**Hanataro x Yachiru**

* * *

"You lost, that means you have to do something in front of everyone," Yasochika said, pushing Hanataro towards the microphone on the stage.

"Stop pushing him" Isane chided. "However…" she stared at Hanataro meaningfully. He _was_ going to do it.

"Please don't make me do it!" he begged.

"I even wrote a song for you!" Yasochika said, handing him a sheet.

If Hanataro was blushing before, reading the lyrics he was supposed to sing make his face tomato-like.

"Allow me to see that," Captain Unohana reached for it.

"Captain!" Isane cried, "We didn't see you there!"

"Um…" now it was Yasochika's turn to turn red.

To say that the lyrics were suggestive would not be going nearly far enough. Captain Unohana gave the sheet back to a trembling Yasochika without saying anything, for which he was very grateful.

"You lost a bet?" she asked Hanataro.

"Y..yes…" he admitted.

"I remember several weeks back, there was man would was scared to go sleep, he thought that he would never wake up. He asked if you could sing him a lullaby."

Hanataro's face looked gentler as he remembered back. The soldier had lost his whole squad and was hallucinating from blood loss, he was terrified of dying alone and in the dark.

He nodded; he remembered the song.

"I think you should sing that song," suggested his captain.

She headed back to her table, sitting off to the side from the dance floor and stage.

"Do you remember there was that one officer of yours who would always sing this sweet song during the summer festival?" Captain Unohana asked Captain Yamamato.

"Hm," he said, trying to thinking back.

"Maybe 500 hundred years ago," she suggested.

The tune came back to his mind, hauntingly.

"You said it was one of the most beautiful songs you had ever heard," Captain Unohana continued.

He looked at her suspiciously. "Why bring it up now?"

"One of my officers is about to sing it," she turned towards the stage.

Hanataro had surprised her the first time she had heard him sing, not just with his voice but with the way his entire being seemed to change. She was glad he was going to get to show that to the world, or at least these peers of his at the party. They didn't respect him nearly enough, although to be fair he did let them walk all over him.

At the microphone Hanataro was trying to introduce himself but failing miserably. He finally got his name out, but forgot to say what song he was singing.

He closed his eyes.

This was the part that had been a shock when she had first seen him sing, years ago to a dying woman, and every time she had seen him do it since then it still amazed her. He began to sing, the notes high and light feeling, but strong and full of feeling. With his puppy dog eyes closed, his face seemed more intense, the emotions of his song ringing through each note.

There is a reason that there are certain clichés, like that of a room going silent when something remarkable happens. In real life, the room goes quietly after a few moments, instead of instantly, but the silence is the same. It had gone so still you could hear the muffled noises of people's breaths.

Hanataro sang a very old song. It involved a lost lover, of a hope and intention of reuniting, of remembrances of how good things had been in the past.

Retsu was happy that Hanataro had his eyes closed, because she was sure that the looks of adulation he was getting from the group of women that had collected in front of the stage would have stopped him dead in his tracks.

As he got to the part where he finds out that his lover has died before they could reconcile, she actually heard a sniff next to her. She looked at the watery-eyed head captain out of the corner of her eye. Well, he had always said it was one of his favorite songs. She wondered if she should ask him about it.

The song came to an end; Hanataro opened his eyes. The bright lights above him prevented him from clearly seeing out into the crowd. There was just silence. He sighed, thank goodness, no one had even paid attentio…

The room was suddenly very alive with cheers and clapping. The light went off, and Hanataro became very bright faced as he was instantly surrounded by a group of women (and a couple of men), who all had very important questions they wanted to ask him.

"How long have you been singing?" "What squad did you say you were from again?" "Did you write that song?" "Are you single?" came the queries. It was questions of the last type that propelled Hanataro outward toward escape. He felt like he was drowning. There was no hope though, there was too many people crushing around him for him to easily leave the crowd of admirers.

"Are you going to help him?" Yamamato asked the woman sitting next to him.

She just drank her tea.

"HANA!" something bright pink flew in the air towards Hanataro's head.

"L…lieutenant …" mumbled Hanataro to the small girl now perched on his shoulders, with her hands crossed across his head.

She leaned down over him, so that he could see her upside down face. "Yachiru!" she frowned.

"Oh, I didn't forget your name! I just didn't want to be too familiar with a superior officer."

Yachiru had only a limited understanding of rank. She had recognized this tiny boy as one who had helped them with Ichi during that really fun fight. She tried to remember who he had fought, but she didn't remember. He was there though. And she remembered him being with Kenny when they all were getting fixed up afterward too.

"Poor Hana," she thought, looking at the gawkers around him. Kenny would've hated this. She looked at Hanataro and decided he looked like he was hating it too.

"KENPACHI ZARAKI!" she yelled.

Instantly the stage was cleared. Her Kenny looked up from his drinking in the back of the room, but she just waved him away. She had found out that sometimes just yelling his name was enough.

"Wanna sit?" she asked Hanataro. "I have a table with tea and sweets and candy and everything!"

That sounded exactly like what Hanataro wanted right now (aside from hiding in a closet, but who did that?)

It was actually pretty pleasant. Hanataro did really enjoy sweet things, and he was happy he could drink tea without being mocked about it not being sake.

Yachiru was looking at him almost clinically. He really looked so small. All those girls had been mean too. He looked like he needed protecting, like a small kitten. She knew that probably meant he was weak, but it had been kind of fun to make everyone go away and have him be so happy about it. Kenny never needed her help with anything. Well, aside from cooking, which he was terrible at; she was worse.

"Do you cook?" she asked Hanataro, innocently.

"Oh yes, I love to cook actually. I don't do it a lot though because it's not worth it to just cook for one person," he answered, happily eating another sweet roll.

"At least he found someone to save him from that crowd," the head captain was saying.

"Actually, he'd probably do better to run right now, though I doubt it would make a difference in the long run," said Retsu knowingly.

"Erm?" he said, looking back at the table where the pink haired lieutenant had just laughed loudly at something. "A little young for that, don't you think?"

"Oh, she's just thinking ahead," Retsu glanced back towards Kenpachi. "Besides, you know what they say; women either go for someone exactly like their father…"

"…or the complete opposite," Yamamato finished. "Yes, I do see your point."

"What's your favorite color?" Yachiru asked.

"Um, I like a lot of colors. Maybe a light blue, like a robin's egg."

Yachiru was drawing at dress for him and she wanted to make sure that the color was right. Yellow ribbons in the hair too, she thought, looking serious as she contemplated her paper. He probably didn't like to wear dresses, but she was pretty sure that she could make him.

Hanataro was really enjoying his tea. What had she sweetened it with? He looked over at her, happily drawing. Thank goodness she had saved him from all of those other people…he was pretty sure that someone had grabbed his butt and he had no idea of who it was.

"Are you having fun Hana?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you!"


	7. Rukia x Orihime

**Rukia x Orihime**

* * *

Rukia had to leave for a moment. Someone asked for assistance in finding Ichigo and thought that she might be able to help. Rukia could vaguely feel him around but didn't actually want him to be found, so she directed the searches towards outside.

"Orihime."

"AGH!"

"Oh, sorry," Yoruichi apologized. "I didn't mean to make you jump."

She paused.

"No, actually I did," she added.

"What?" Orihime asked, confused.

"I was hoping to scare you and make you jump, because it makes you breasts bounce so high and your voice gets high and even more girlish…"

Orihime faced was flushed, "…I…"

"…and you look so adorable when you blush," Yoruichi finished. She was standing very close.

Orihime backed away a little, "hahaha!"

Yoruichi reached out for her.

"Bad kitty!" Rukia lightly smacked her on the nose. That was the attempt at least. She was a little tipsy from some alchoholic punch she had had earlier, so it was more like a fairly substational smack on the top of the head.

"Something wrong?" Youichi practically purred, ignoring the hit.

"Hands OFF my Orihime!" Rukia said with a solid push at Yoruichi, who finally decided to leave.

"Let's go to the couches," Rukia said to Orihime, in a much more subdued tone.

* * *

"Told you," Yoruichi said smugly to Soifon.

"You didn't have to touch her to make your point," Soifon said stiffly.

"Oh, poor baby, just as jealous as Rukia," Yoruichi said, wrapping her arms around Soifon.

Soifon blushed, but didn't move away.

"Lady Yoruichi, you shouldn't be doing that," she said quietly, leaning into her arms.

* * *

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so possessive," Rukia was apologizing to Orihime on the couch.

"That's ok, I kind of like it," Orihime said. "Oh, I mean people being possessive in general, not you. Well, I like you too but…" she realized what she had said and stopped, flustered.

Rukia seemed to not notice, she was staring across the room at her brother and Renji.

"Did you hear that some women from the Shinigami Women's Association have a bet that they can get Ichigo to kiss them?" Rukia said.

"…I heard that," Orihime said quietly.

"He's hiding from them, no one can find him," Rukia said, "so you don't have to worry."

"Worry about what?"

"Well, I mean that you don't have to worry about Ichigo's first kiss being with someone else," Rukia was looking away.

"I…don't think I feel that way about him anymore," Orihime said.

Rukia looked at her.

"Well, for a long time I felt really close to him, and I knew that I really cared about him. When he's fighting I can feel it in my heart, no in my soul," Orihime's eyes were very large. "But…but for instance when I thought that he thought of you as more than a friend, I wasn't jealous or upset, it just made me happy that he had someone else to look after him and care for him. When I've thought about kissing him, I realize that I wouldn't. I wasn't really sure what that meant."

"I'm not sure if I'm explaining it right," Orihime said after a pause.

"No, I understand," Rukia said, "I think it's kind of how I feel about Renji. It's not like I care about him like I'd care about my brother, it's something different, more. It _is_ love, it's just not the type of love that someone could base their lives together on."

"Besides," Rukia said, trying to get things less serious, "I would kill Renji OR Ichigo at least twice a day if I ever had to date either of them."

"Ichigo doesn't really make me angry," said Orihime, "although…although I do feel like he doesn't think very much of my abilities. I know that I'm not as strong as him of course, and I do need protecting sometimes, but I'm not made of glass! I can be told things, I don't need the truth hidden from me, to be told that things are ok when they're not." Despite what she had said, she actually was getting a little angry now.

"He does the same thing to me!" Rukia agreed. "As if I didn't go to school for this, as if I hadn't already been killing hollows for longer than he's been born. No, he just tells me to stand back, or doesn't even tell me what's going on, just leaves me behind like it's all on him."

Ichigo should have been very happy he was hiding, because the two girls were starting to look a little fierce.

"What about when he just disappears for entire days or even weeks and doesn't even say anything? You were so worried that you stopped eating for awhile," Rukia said to Orihime. "What a jerk!"

"You were worried about me?" Orhime wondered.

"Of course, that's why I kept showing up with take out, I didn't want that idiot to make you sick," Rukia answered.

"Um, Rukia?"

"Yeah?"

"So, if you don't like Renji or Ichigo, is there someone else you like?" Orihime asked shyly.

"Nope," said Rukia, wrapping her arms around Orihime, "Just you."

"I don't count?"

Rukia looked at her. "I…guess that's not what I meant," their heads were very close now.

"I think I'd like to," Orihime said.

"To what?"

"To count,"she looked at Rukia.

"You can beat Ichigo if you want to," Rukia said quietly.

"In what?"

"Getting your first kiss."

Instead of blushing or feeling flustered, Orihime looked like she was seriously considering something.

"Yup!" she said, with a finger in the air.

"Um?"

"I'm definitely going to beat him," Orihime didn't feel embarrassed at all as she leaned closer to Rukia with her eyes closed. She didn't care all that there were people around, or that it might be weird that she was kissing another girl (she wasn't sure how these things worked in the soul society), or that it was her first kiss and she probably wouldn't do it perfect.

Rukia could feel her heart beat, the pulse going through her body. She was very aware of Orihime's hand on her own, of the fact that Orhime's breasts pressed up against her softly as she got close, and then of how gentle her lips were as she kissed them. Every thing about the moment wrote itself onto her, her eyelashes touching Orihime's check as they parted, the mixing of their breaths, and then, of course, of Orihime leaning forward to kiss her again.


	8. Byakuya x Renji part 2

**Byakuya x Renji part 2**

* * *

He had noticed that when he trained against his men, there was always one particular person there watching. People from other squads would come to observe when they could of course, as they do with any captain, but Byakuya had no set days when he trained in person. Often it was his officers who did this duty. If he decided to take it into his own hands he would inform them the day of.

It wasn't until he accidentally came across Renji training that his previous appearances watching the captain came to mind. When Byakuya had come into the training field, he had instantly retreated back into the woods. He was not hiding; it was merely always a caution to carefully approach anyone who was training with the amount of spiritual pressure that this man in front of him seemed to be wielding.

So he watched from the trees. Watched Renji swing his zanpakuto left, right, spin and…

Captain Kuchiki frowned. That particular technique would not be useful in most battle situations. It seemed to be designed to dodge an attack at the back where the soul chain met the body, a very specific type of attack. He watched the man practice it again and again. It was slow, far too slow. However, there was no denying that it was designed to survive a senka attack. His senka attack.

"There is a man, now in the eleventh division, with red hair and tattoos," he had brought up at dinner that night with Rukia, "I believe he is an old classmate of yours".

"Yes, I've spoken of him before. His name is Renji Abarai," Rukia had mentioned him only briefly, she had found that speaking of the Rukon district made her brother despondent.

The next day Captain Kuchiki informed one of his officers that he would be heading up the advanced swordsmanship training that day. He watched him leave to inform the other officers, briefly curious as to from whom it was that Abarai got his information.

As expected, Renji Abarai had been there, sitting on the hill with several other curious observers. That day Captain Kuchiki did an attack that no one had seen from him. It was not useful to teach to other people, and it was an attack that ended in a mortal blow that only someone with exceptional spiritual pressure could pull off so he had never seen the use of using it on his trainees. The man in front of him, his fourth, could only stare in dread as the completely unevadable attack swooped down on him...the deathblow stopping just above his head.

One week later Byakuya went to the training area he had seen Renji practice at before, at approximately the same time. He was not there. However, he was there on Byakuya's second visit.

Dodge, parry, thrust…a common attack…and then suddenly a quick leap up and outward, followed by an overhead block protecting the head and deflecting the invisible attack over the shoulder. Renji tried it over and over, in his mind dodging his training partner's attacks, or at least attempting to.

Still too slow, thought Byakuya. Even if he made it in speed, he could never be powerful enough to stop the blow much less deflect it in the way he was practicing. It was interesting that he was trying, however.

* * *

In his heart he felt pain as he looked down on his lieutenant's broken body, his spiritual pressure wavering up and down as he fought against death. As Byakuya walked away, leaving behind his scarf, he made himself a promise.

"If, on this day when our egos and duties and pride collided, I have killed him, I will never wear that scarf again, to serve as a memory of what I have done today."

Renji had made the right decision, he had both fought against the invasion of the ryoka to protect the seireitei, and fought to save Rukia.

_"Shall I tell you the difference between you and I? It's level. It's like the story of the monkey trying to capture the moon. No matter how he struggles, it's just the moon's reflection on the water he sees. So he only sinks into the water. Time after time, he sinks."_

At least Renji had tried, had he done as much?

* * *

He had fully expected his lieutenant to hate him, to request a transfer, to leave entirely, or at least to stop speaking to him. Yet every day when he woke up in the squad four recovery rooms, Renji had been there, sleeping in a chair. If he had just wanted to show respect as a subordinate he could have showed up once a day to check in on his captain. However, he wouldn't leave the bedside while Byakuya was still seriously injured.

"I tried to clean it as best as I could," Renji had said, handing him back his family scarf.

"I will be able to wear it," Byakuya had replied.

* * *

Captain Kuchiki could trace the beginning his nightmares back to specific date and time.

Renji was in the world of the living, there had been an arrancar attack. Rumors were that there was an espada present. Captain Kuchiki wasn't part of the ground forces, he wasn't receiving updates hourly, or getting battle results live. He had paced in an undignified way. Someone outside yelled from the squad entrance to one of the regular squad six guards. "Hey Ryu, we just got word that Ikkaku Madarame was killed!" "What? That's impossible…" The conversation had gotten quieter so that Byakuya could no longer follow it.

The 3rd seat from squad eleven had really been killed? What about everyone else? Were they still battling? How bad were the injuries? Renji…

He had stayed all night and received the daily report in the morning, just like all of the other captains. He had been surprised to see that there were no deaths after all, but there on the list of injured members was his lieutenant's name. What a stupid report, how could one simply put "injured"? That could mean anything, from a scratch to missing limbs. Next time he talked to Renji he would tell him that it was his duty to…Byakuya thought about it. It would be his duty to report to him as soon as he was able to, there was no duty to report to him immediately after the battle. While he was part of the ground forces task team he was reporting to Captain Hitsugaya.

How bizarre was it that if he asked his lieutenant to call and let him know he was alright after a battle, people would think it was odd. He knew that it wasn't that way in other divisions. From him however; Renji would ask why. The answer would be what?

The nightmares involved Renji dying, bleeding out in a field. He would run to him, hold him. "Renji, please don't leave me," he would beg the dying man. "I never was with you," Renji replied with a smile, "so this shouldn't hurt at all."

The nightmare really was that when Byakuya would awake, he knew that it was true that if Renji were to die in battle, no one would think he had been hurt. Would Renji himself even think of him in those last moments?

* * *

Captain Kuchiki had been thinking of many things in the past, and hopefully the future, as he sat on a small stool at the annual Founding Day party. He had told himself that tonight he would talk to Renji, and both ask him to call him after a battle to let him know that he was ok, and why it was that his captain suddenly cared so much.

* * *

"Whoo! Do it!" Rangiku shoved Renji towards the stage, hard.

"Hey, I said I was," Renji was starting to feel dubious about it though. He wasn't nearly drunk enough to make this work.

Byakuya looked towards the ruckus and got angry. That lieutenant from squad ten needed to learn to keep her hands to herself. What was it she was doing?

Rangiku was pulling at Renji's sash. "Woah, hey..." Renji said, getting manhandled.

All of sudden he was on stage, no longer wearing a shirt.

"WHOOO!" came a couple of cries.

"YEAH! GO SEXY!" Now _that _voice Renji recognized as Shuuhei. Jerk.

* * *

There was something that Captain Kuchiki would never confess to his lieutenant, which was that he actually thought Renji was kind of cute when he was drunk.

He remembered a time, when trying to get across country quickly, he had been traveling all through the night. As he passed through a particular district he had felt the spiritual pressure of his lieutenant, and had stopped in the streets to see if he could locate him. While standing there, Lieutenant Hisagi had passed by, almost falling when he had noticed the captain. Byakuya knew that the two often drank together and was going to inquire about Renji, but Suuhei had just sprinted off without a sound. After waiting a few moments, Byakuya wondered if he should just continue on, when Renji physically ran into him.

There was a brief entanglement, apologies, and then confusion. "I saw you, but I kept running because I thought you were a ghost," confessed Renji.

Byakuya could smell the alcohol on his breath, though he imagined that the fact that Renji was wearing women's clothing would have been clue enough that he wasn't sober. The dress was truly ridiculous. Renji had such a very large set of shoulders and muscular legs that it really was just…just too much…"hmrf…" he smothered a laugh.

"What was that Captain?"

"Ahem. Renji, I said that if you keep running around in those silk stockings without shoes you're going to rip them," and then he took off.

Captain Kuchiki also enjoyed the days that Renji showed up with a hangover. Byakuya was usually a very graceful man, but on those days he would enjoy slamming doors, dropping books, and even breaking tea cups, just to get a reaction from his lieutenant.

CRASH

"ARG!" Renji practically jumped out of his chair.

"Asleep on the job?"

"No, no, just resting my head," Renji answered blearily.

"These are more reports to do," Byakuya pointed to the large stack of files that he had just slammed onto Renji's desk. "It's too dark in here," he quickly opened the curtains letting blinding bright light in.

Then he would retreat back into his private office, hearing Renji slightly whimpering as he tried to shield his eyes.

* * *

So it was, that although Captain Kuchiki was trying to feel anger at his lieutenant for being drunk and half naked on stage, he really couldn't fully commit to the feeling of it. Not when he was trying so hard to not notice how very low Renji's hakama was sitting on his waist. Not that he wouldn't chastise him for it later, but that's what Mondays were for.

"What was I supposed to do again?" Renji asked loudly into the microphone.

"STRIP!" a woman yelled.

"Naw," Renji said, "Otherwise you're going to be very disappointed with your boyfriend later tonight." He wavered on his feet a little, and looked out into the crowd, his gaze landing on Captain Zaraki.

"I got an idea," he said.

"This is dedicated to my old captain!

Counting Death he waits

Cold smile, hot blood on his hands

Sake in his cup."

There was a moment of shock, and then loud cheers. Kenpachi grinned and lifted his glass.

Captain Kuchiki had to admit that he was impressed. Coming up with haiku on the spot while drunk was an admirable feat, especially from someone like Renji. That must mean that Renji had read a little, right? Byakuya wondered if he should be feeling ashamed that he assumed his lieutenant to be unread.

"Another one! One more!" Rangiku was yelling from the side of the stage.

This time, as Renji looked to the crowd for inspiration, he gazed directly into his captain's eyes.

"Alright, give me a second," he said.

Renji's friends had noticed who he had seen. "Not good!" Rangiku was saying. Kira looked like he was crossing his fingers hoping for the best. Shuuhei just looked like he was enjoying himself.

"This one is dedicated to my new captain.

Cherry blossoms float

Seemingly calm and reckless

Under the cold moon."

The crowd cheered wildly again. A couple of people glanced over to see how the noble had taken it, but he actually seemed to almost be smiling, so it he couldn't have been offended.

"I will show you my reckless side tonight, Renji," Byakuya thought to himself.

There were two things he needed to do first. He needed to talk to Rukia, something he should have done a long time ago, just to make sure, and he needed to have an excuse to walk over to Renji's group of friends and pull him away.

Luck was on his side that night because both problems were solved at once. New problems now existed, but they could wait until morning.

He walked over to Renji.

"Captain," Renji was all smiles, still riding high from being on stage.

"Renji, I'm sorry," said Byakuya, seriously.

"What?"

Byakuya pulled Renji away, and pointed to where Rukia and Orihime were sitting on the couch. He couldn't tell if Rukia was whispering in Orihime's ear, or kissing her temple, but the intimacy remained the same. On a different night, at a different time, he might lecture her on displays of public affection as well as the legalities of getting involved with a human. Now, he just watched Renji's face intently. He saw shock, but not pain.

"Huh," Renji said. "That was unexpected."

"You are ok? I've always thought that you had intentions for Rukia," Byakuya said with fake sympathy.

"Yeah I'm fine. I was never after _Rukia_."

The words themselves weren't that remarkable, but the intent with which they were said was clear.

"Do you mind coming outside to the cooler air?" Byakuya asked.

Renji followed his captain outside. He wondered if he could pull off the idea that he was lot drunker than he was if he messed this up. "Sorry captain, I was just sooo tipsy I fell… on top of you…with my tongue in your mouth…" he doubted that would fly. Why else though…his heart was no longer beating steadily.

Outside, and a little away from the party, they stood in the shadow of a tree, filtered moonlight tracing their heads and shoulders.

Byakuya reached up, his body lightly resting on Renji for a moment before their lips touched. The kiss was tentative at first taste, but Renji was so intoxicated by his captain he pressed in, and in. Byakuya could feel one of Renji's arms around the small of his back, the other tightly clasped in his hair. He could feel Renji's presence all around him, enfolding him, could feel the heat from his body come and greet him. Byakuya pulled away, just slightly, their lips apart but the rest of them still entwined.

"Byakuya," Renji said.

The last wall, one that Byakuya didn't even know he had, crumbled. Any doubts he may have had were gone forever on hearing Renji brokenly call out his name into the darkness. They clung to each other, desperate for a closeness they had never had.

"Renji," Byakuya finally said, "Let's go home."


	9. Ichigo x Toshiro part 2

**Ichigo x Toshiro part 2**

* * *

Toshiro's hair lay on his cheek, smelling faintly of something. Ichigo leaned in closer to smell it better just as Toshiro turned his head to speak. They froze, staring at each other from inches away. Toshiro backed away, still facing Ichigo, kneeling betweens Ichigo's knees, looking at him intently.

"No," Toshiro said. "To answer your earlier question, I still haven't been kissed."

"You know," Ichigo said slowly, feeling the tension which hadn't eased even when Toshiro had moved away, "if we both haven't done it, then we won't look stupid to each other if we mess up."

"I suppose we could practice a little, learn from each other," suggested Toshiro.

Neither of them moved at first, but eventually Toshiro leaned forward, his hands lightly pressing on Ichigo's chest. Ichigo reached out, holding Toshiro just below his shoulders. The first kiss was tentative, light. The second kiss was sweeter, both able to taste each other now, beginning to feel each other's heat. The third kiss was a lot longer than the previous too, and just as it was getting a little fierce and a lot more interesting, they both jumped away from each other. The closet door opened with a bang.

"Captain, there you are!" shouted Rangiku, impossibly loud in the small room, "Ichigo too!"

"Stopping yelling, Rangiku," said Toshiro.

* * *

Ichigo had looked for Rukia and Orihime but couldn't find them. He also couldn't find Renji. He had been sure from the way that Renji had talked the only way he was leaving was going to be in the morning when the cleaning staff kicked his drunken unconscious body into the street.

He sat alone on a couch, trying to not think. He wondered if it was going to be awkward the next time he saw Toshiro. What could he say? He should at least ask him what it was all about, right? Would it be weird to just say, "I want to kiss you again"?

Toshiro sat on the other side of the room, watching Ichigo. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do, or what he was watching for.

Ichigo looked up and saw him, and smiled. Toshiro smiled back.

Rangiku almost fainted. To see those two smile had to be sign of the apocalypse. "No one is going to believe me when I mention this on Monday," she thought to herself.

It turns out that she was wrong, no one would have the slightest problem believing it.

Toshiro had gotten whatever sign it was that he wanted. He walked over to Ichigo, and without hesitation planted himself on his lap, pulling him down into a passionate kiss.

This time Rangiku did faint, though that could have been from the massive amounts of alcohol she'd been guzzling all night.

Toshiro felt Ichigo's tongue in his mouth, and moaned. He pulled Ichigo closer, his hands in Ichigo's hair.

"Well, I guess we all lost the bet," said Nanao.

"I consider the experiment to be a success," Nemu replied. It had been about human sexuality after all. The other human had seemed to have had success tonight as well; she should have been tracking that progress more closely as well.

"Yes," agreed Isane and Kiyone. Anything that ended up with two hot guys making out in front of them was definitely a success in their opinion.

Captain Kyoraku watched from across the room with a sort of pain in his eyes. He sighed and drank some more sake.

"Mmmm…" Ichigo said between kisses, "Toshiro…we should…we should probably go someplace else…"

"In a minute," Toshiro replied, not wanting to let go of the moment yet.

* * *

The closest private place happened to be Captain Hitsugaya's office. Toshiro briefly felt it to be amusing, since he would rake Rangiku over the coals for making out with someone in her office. To be fair, she most likely had done it in the past, and more.

It was an ideal place for them actually. The futon was comfortable, but the office wasn't as intimidating as if they had gone to his quarters.

"I want to try something," Toshiro whispered. He had always wondered what the big deal was with kissing someone on the neck. It didn't seem like it should feel different than anywhere else, but Rangiku walked in with giant hickeys all over her all the time. He began to kiss Ichigo below his ear, tracing downward.

"Ahhhhrrrrr," Ichigo purred.

Toshiro took that as encouragement and took longer with each kiss, sucking and licking Ichigo's neck.

"Toshiro!" Ichigo called out, clasping him tighter. "Mmmm!"

Toshiro pulled back, with a raised eyebrow. "Really? That good?"

"Heh," laughed Ichigo, "I bet I can make you groan louder than me."

"I will consider that an official challenge."


	10. Shunsui x Jushiro

**Shunsui x Jushiro**

* * *

Shunsui waved Jushiro over to the couch he was lounging on.

Shunsui's only concession to dressing up had been to arrive sans headgear, but Jushiro had come dressed in a beautiful dark blue kimono and had pulled his hair back in an elaborate tie between his shoulders. Jushiro was always striking of course, but tonight he looked vibrant and happy…"and beautiful," thought Shunsui to himself. He wasn't the only person admiring Captain Ukitake as he walked across the room either.

Jushiro sat next to his old friend, and they chatted.

There was a sudden murmuring around them, and they looked up to see Ichigo and Toshiro locked in a passionate kiss across the room.

"It looks as though our youngest captain is getting his wings," Shunsui said softly, looking away.

"I'm not that surprised, between all of the stress they are going under and all of those youthful hormones," Jushiro smiled.

"Can't you just assume that it's young love?"

"It would be nice," said Jushiro. "It definitely has been a lively party," he added.

"Even the Kuchikis are getting into the spirit this year," replied Shunsui.

Both of them had exchanged glances after Captain Kuchiki's abrupt departure with his lieutenant fast on his heels, and most everyone had noticed Rukia and Orihime's kiss.

"You know why," Jushiro said with a hint of strain.

"Well, maybe next time I see Aizen I'll thank him for finally loosening up some people," grinned Shunsui.

"You know that it's not a good sign that so many people are acting this way. It must mean that in the back of their minds they think that we are going to lose, or at least win at a very high cost. That's no way to go into a war," Jushiro sighed.

"And what about you, old friend," said Shunsui. "No regrets?"

"I have enough regrets already to last a lifetime, I don't think I need any more," he answered lightly, but with sadness.

Shunsui looked over to Ichigo and Toshiro, still locked together at the lips. "Ok, they really need to stop that."

Jushiro just raised an eyebrow.

"Go ahead and say it," Shunsui said.

"Hypocrite," Jushiro complied.

"I _am_ a hypocrite of course," Shunsui admitted. To himself he added, "but I'm also a jealous bastard."

He looked at Jushiro, and wondered why he was always seemed so far away, no matter how hard he tried. He sighed and knew that he was going to start an argument again. He pulled Jushiro towards him, into a kiss. He wasn't surprised at all when Jushiro placed his hands on his chest and gently pushed him away.

"Why do you always do that?" asked Jushiro.

"…I…"

The words, "I love you" had lost all meaning to Shunsui a long time ago; he would never say them to his friend. He pulled Jushiro's hands over his heart, holding them there, trying to think of what he could possibly say that he hadn't said a hundred times before.

Jushiro looked at his friend as he struggled for words, his eyes gazing downward. He could feel Shunsui's heartbeat under his finger tips. He wasn't sure why, but finally he came to a decision.

Shunsui was more than shocked when he felt Jushiro's lips press on his. He had kissed Jushiro numerous times before, but had always been pushed away. This was the first time he had responded. It was their first true kiss, and it was beautiful. Shunsui was still basking in the glow of the acknowledgement when he felt Jushiro's tongue brush up along his.

He pulled away quickly, looking into his friend's face. There was no teasing there, just warmth. Without a word Shunsui picked up his friend, carrying him in his arms, and flash stepped out of the building.

The cool air felt pleasant on his hot face. They exchanged no words.

Shunsui hadn't been aware that he was going to Jushiro's home, but it made sense. His own residence, his own bed: no. He wanted no memories or past experiences to intrude on this.

They entered the house, Shunsui continuing to carry Jushiro to the bedroom, laying him on the glowing white sheets. They lay next to each other, still fully clothed. Shunsui carefully pulled out the tie holding back Jushiro's hair, running his hands through the loosened strands. He pulled Jushiro towards him, but Jushiro held him back, his hands on his chest again.

"Give up everyone else for me," Jushiro said.

"Yes," said Shunsui.

"Give up sake for me," Jushiro said.

There was almost a pause. "Yes," said Shunsui.

"Give us breathing for me," Jushiro said.

Shunsui looked at his friend, who was smiling at him.

"Yes," he whispered.

"Actually I was thinking that we could keep things just that same," continued Jushiro.

He saw the panicked looked in Shunsui's eyes.

"I think you misunderstand me," he said gently.

"Thank god," Shunsui said, "because if you got me all the way here just to turn me away I think my heart might explode."

"I meant that we have been friends for a very long time, we have gotten very used to each other habits, and I don't really see a need for us to change. It'll be the same, just with sex," suggested Jushiro.

"A lot more sex," agreed Shunsui.

"I do have two conditions."

"Anything," Shunsui meant it.

"If you make time for me, set up a date, or if I need you, you drop anything or anyone. I come first," Jushiro stated.

"You always have," Shunsui answered.

Jushiro had to admit that was true.

"Also, no men," he added.

"For me, there has only been you," Shunsui replied.

Finally Jushiro relented, allowing Shunsui to pull him into a kiss.


	11. Kenpachi

**Kenpachi**

* * *

"Drink with me," he held a glass to Ikkaku.

It was nothing. It had always been nothing. He just wanted to have sex with him, and there was nothing wrong with that. The fact the there was point in the distant past were he had just given up having sex because it wasn't with Ikkaku, the fact that he constantly dreamed about Ikkaku, and the fact that seeing Yumichika touch Ikkaku in any way made him want to vomit, it was all incidental and had never meant anything. He always told himself that, he hoped one day he would believe it.

He could tell Ikkaku wasn't going to stick around drinking with him for long. The fact that his offhand comment trying to insult Yumichika was the reason he was going to drink himself into oblivion tonight struck him as…amusing.

* * *

At squad eleven headquarters there was little bit of a disagreement.

"I'm sorry, Yumichika," Ikkaku was saying on the other side of the doorway. "I just don't like guys."

"How do you know that?" Yumichika said angrily, "At least give me chance. I swear that…"

"Yumichika," interrupted Ikkaku impatiently, "please just stop asking me this. We're just friends. I would gladly die for you, I like spending time with you, hell we're even pretty good roommates, but that's all I can do."

Kenpachi hadn't meant to listen in, but it was outside his office after all. He had known all along there was no way for him to be with Ikkaku, he had accepted that that was just the way it was going to be, unlike Yumichika evidently. Why would Yumichika think someone like Ikkaku would go for someone like him anyways? Hell, the women Ikkaku dated were more masculine than Yumichika most of the time.

* * *

Kenpachi wondered how the hell Yumichika had gotten Ikkaku onto the dance floor. He looked away, and took another drink. It was definitely going to be a long night if they were going to be like _that_ the whole time.

He was relieved when they took off.

* * *

"Kenny," asked Yachiru, sitting on Kenpachi's desk, swinging her legs, "Do you like baldy?"

It had been very obvious to her that as soon as baldy and feathers decided to kiss each other sometimes, Kenny had become very sad. He slept even more than usual and she would have to push him out of bed even to go practice in his training room.

Kenpachi had long ago realized trying to keep things from Yachiru never worked. "Yeah," he said simply.

"We can always just kill Yumi," she suggested.

It wasn't that he hadn't thought about it, it's just that he wasn't so much of a hypocrite that he could put someone else through that loss. He thought back on the original Yachiru, and how he had felt for a long time after. Besides, there was no saying that Ikkaku wouldn't just up and leave if Yumichika died, or drink himself to death, or get himself killed in battle.

"Remember when you asked me what the difference was between a sparkly piece of glass and a diamond?" he asked Yachiru.

"You said that diamonds were a lot rarer, so they were precious," she answered.

"Yeah, that's why when two people are in love you don't mess with 'em," Kenpachi said.

* * *

He didn't know how long he had been at the party, he wasn't really paying attention. He vaguely remembered Renji reciting some damn haiku about him, though he recalled he had liked it, something about blood and death. Captain Unohana was walking towards him for some reason.

She sat across from him, and poured herself a glass of sake.

"And exactly what are you doing?" he asked rudely.

"You looked like you wanted company," she answered.

"Bullshit," Kenpachi said.

She drank, and refilled her glass. Huh, he had never seen her drink before. Well, it's not like he knew her well anyways. He hadn't seen her eat either but it didn't mean she didn't like food.

He decided to ignore her.

She seemed to not care in the least.

* * *

"Whoa, watch out there, Captain," Ikkaku had said, quickly swinging under Kenpachi's arm to support him as they walked back to the barracks. It was the summer, hot and sticky even though it was late.

Kenpachi grunted his thanks.

"You know, it's not any of my business," Ikkaku said, "but you've been drinking pretty hard the last couple of months."

"Yeah," Kenpachi didn't elaborate, and Ikkaku didn't bring it up again.

"Sorry for making you miss your anniversary," Kenpachi said several minutes later, not meaning it in the slightest.

"Heh, I'm surprised that you even remembered it," grinned Ikkaku. "Don't worry, I already did something this morning."

"Yeah, what?" Kenpachi really wished he hadn't asked, but he was still kind of curious.

"You are going to laugh so hard at me if I tell you, it's so sappy," Ikkaku replied.

Sappy and Ikkaku weren't words that Kenpachi would normally associate with each other.

"See, now I gotta know," Kenpachi said.

"Alright, but don't bash me over the head or anything," replied Ikkaku. "I always make breakfast. I kind of suck as a cook, but fixing breakfast is simple enough for me to handle."

Kenpachi had to smile to himself at the idea of a slightly domesticated Ikkaku leaning over a stove. Ha. Well at least Ikkaku didn't burn everything instantly like he did.

"Yumichika was sitting at the table, about to eat, and I leaned over from behind him and gave him a flower. He smiled at me and then started to eat. I know nothing about flowers, I guess different ones are supposed to mean different things or be more romantic or something. Sometimes I think weeds are prettier than flowers, so what do I know?"

He continued.

"I had gone all through the seireitei grabbing whatever flowers, or weeds, appealed to me. Just as long at they were colorful. I put all of the petals in a bag, and when Yumichika took the one flower I had given him and began to eat, I held the bag out over his head, and then used my zanpakuto to cut it open so that the flower petals flew everywhere."

Yup, thought Kenpachi, definitely sappy. He could see Yumichika looking up as the rainbow of petals showered down on him. Sappy, but it was something that Yumichika would love.

Kenpachi sighed.

"Well, at least you used your zanpakuto, so it can't be that bad," he offered.

They had arrived at Kenpachi's door.

"Hey, Ikkaku?" Kenpachi asked.

"Yeah?"

"What changed?"

Ikkaku just looked at him.

"I mean, it wasn't like one of you almost died, or had been in a huge battle, or had a fight or anything…" Kenpachi continued.

"Nothing changed," Ikkaku replied.

"Nothing?"

"I'm sure for some people it happens that way, something big, some life changing ah-ha moment. For me it wasn't anything. I just looked back on my life and realized that everything in my life that I liked was mostly because of Yumichika. It just seemed pretty natural, and so I just decided to do it. Ever since then things have just been, well better than I've ever thought something could be," Ikkaku paused. "Have you ever been in love?"

"Yeah," Kenpachi answered.

"With you, which way was it, sudden, or a slow realization?"

"One was one way, the other the other," he replied simply.

"You need help inside?"

"Naw, I'm fine," Kenpachi said, walking up his steps.

* * *

Captain Unohana was still watching him. He didn't really remember how she had even gotten there. He hadn't invited her over had he? Didn't seem like something he'd do.

Retsu watched Kenpachi drink himself under and sighed. She always had a thing for lost causes, strays, and people who didn't know when to give up. She thought that Kenpachi might be all three.


	12. Shuuhei x Kira

**Shuuhei x Kira**

* * *

Kira was not unaware that Shuuhei was leaning in close to talk to him, had brushed his hand against his when handing him a drink, and had playfully swept his hair out of his eyes. The question was, exactly why was Shuuhei flirting with him? It wasn't that Shuuhei never went for guys, although he usually went for women, it just seemed out of the blue. They had known each other for a long time and, as far as he knew, Shuuhei had never shown any interest in him.

"Shuuhei, why are you doing this?" he finally asked, as they took a seat on a couch.

"What do you mean?" Shuuhei asked.

"You know what I mean," Kira looked at his drink, "Why are you being so nice to me tonight?"

"Don't be obtuse, why does anyone hit on someone? It's because I like you and want to be with you."

That was direct enough. Direct enough that Kira blushed actually.

"Look," Shuuhei continued, "I just really want to…"

"You guys will not believe the night I've been having!" Rangiku cried, aburptly sitting between the two, not aware in the least that she was interrupting anything.

Shuuhei was very tempted to simply shove her off onto the floor, but that didn't seem very gentleman-like.

"No one likes me!" Rangiku said, with crocodile tears.

Kira sighed. Rangiku could become a complete diva when drunk, and tonight looked like one of those nights.

"I'm pretty, no beautiful," she wept, "but no one will touch me!"

Shuuhei had sat through too many of Rangiku's crying sessions to work up much sympathy.

"I'm beautiful, right?" she asked Kira.

"Uh…yeah…" he replied.

"I know you don't date women but if you did, you'd go for me, right?" Rangiku questioned.

"Um…" Kira thought it was probably better to just not answer that.

It turns out it didn't matter because she immediately turned to Shuuhei.

"You've been chasing after me forever," she said, gazing into his eyes and leaning on him, "Tonight's your lucky night!"

"Uh…" now it was Shuuhei's turn to feel awkward. It was true of course, which was bad for what he was trying to do with Kira, but he really hadn't been that into her in the first place, it was just kind of a game he liked to play since he knew that she wouldn't take it seriously. Plus, he had to admit he was mesmerized by her boobs.

"Actually," Shuuhei decided to throw subtlety to the wind, "the person I'm interested in is on the other side of you, so if you could leave I would appreciate it."

"Oh," she gasped, "you're finally telling Kira about your feelings?"

"Finally?" thought Kira. Interesting.

Shuuhei cursed at Rangiku in his head and realized he really should have just shoved her when he had had a chance.

"But…" Rangiku started to tear up again, "but I need you tonight Shuuhei!"

"Your mascara is running," Kira lied calmly.

"What?" Rangiku gasped, no longer crying, and jumped up to visit the nearest mirror.

"Finally?" Kira said archly.

"Heh, uh, yeah," Shuuhei said awkwardly. "It's just that before you seemed kind of wrapped up in your Captain," Shuuhei had never asked and didn't really want to know, "and then you were so upset after he left that I didn't want you to think that I was taking advantage of you."

Kira just looked at him. It had been years then. How could he miss something like that for years? He had spent a lot of time with Shuuhei; drinking, eating at Shuuhei's dinner parties, going to festivals, and just hanging out at the office whenever one of them would get bored or had a little time to kill. It seemed like he should have known when it had crossed from friendship into something else. Had he just been blinded by…by the other things going on his life?

"I want to take care of you," Shuuhei said.

From anyone else, it would have come off as patronizing. From anyone else, it probably would have pissed him off. Somehow, coming from Shuuhei, it seemed comforting, sincere.

"You always look like you're in pain, and you never talk about it. I want to know about it," Shuuhei continued. "I want you to laugh like you used to when I first met you back at the academy." He had never told Kira how much he had helped him after he had lost his friends in that hollow attack. He had visited Shuuhei all the time while he was healing, even though they had never met before then.

"You know, you do have a bit of a reputation," Kira said, mostly joking.

"Not everyone can get over being with a sex god," Shuuhei said, laughing. There was an ongoing joke with their group, something they called "the Shuuhei effect". Any time he walked by a group of women, they all went silent, then instantly started whispering when he had gotten out of earshot.

"I'm still not sure," Kira said.

He was telling Shuuhei to convince him, and the message was received loud and clear.

Shuuhei moved closer to him on the couch. "Tell you what, I'll go ahead and whisper dirty things into your ear and you tell me which one strikes your fancy," he said with a wolfish grin.

Kira wondered how he had ever missed how much he had felt for Shuuhei before now.


	13. The Morning After

**The Morning After**

* * *

The next morning, Hanataro was surprised to find several bouquets of flowers on his doorstep, as well as numerous cards and letters. He quickly brought them inside before anyone could see them. One gift was a small rough looking bag. He opened it and found leftover peppermints and candy from last night. Well, this was obviously from Yachiru; he could at least accept this one without embarrassment. He popped a peppermint in his mouth as he surveyed the rest of the things and wondered what to do with them.

* * *

Kenpachi wasn't sure how he had wound up in his bed. He was still fully clothed, but covered with a blanket. Had he passed out? Shit, Yachiru!

Luckily she was in the kitchen, trying to make what looked like oatmeal.

"What happened last night?" he asked.

"Braid-lady flew us here on her big healing monster thing," Yachiru answered. "You were too big for us to carry."

"Sorry, Yachiru, didn't mean to leave you stranded," Kenpachi apologized. "You see Unohana at your women's meeting thing right?"

"Yup," Yachiru looked at the now smoldering clump of oatmeal in front of her and wondered what had happened. She mashed it with the spoon a couple of times, but that didn't seem to be helping.

"Tell her I said thanks for getting you home."

"Sure thing!"

* * *

Yumichika wandered out to the kitchen and smiled at the sight of Ikkaku, half naked, cooking eggs. He walked up behind him and laid his head on Ikkaku's bare back, wrapping his arms around him tightly.

"Hey, you want an omelet or do you want it scrambled?" Ikkaku asked.

"What I want is for you to come back to bed," Yumichika said.

* * *

Rukia really wished that she hadn't come home last night. Not because she wanted to spend it with Orihime, it was way to earlier in the relationship for that, but because then she would have avoided seeing Renji sneaking out of her brother's room at the crack of dawn.

"R…!" she just pointed, one hand over her mouth.

"Uh," Renji stuttered. "I…I don't suppose you know where my zanpakuto is, do you?"

She refused to answer him, and he ran off. He had probably left it at the party check-in, he hadn't really stopped on his way out or anything.

* * *

Byakuya woke up slowly, reaching out next to him. He sighed when he opened his eyes and realized that Renji had already gone. He didn't for a moment assume it meant that Renji regretted what had happened, or that it had been a one night stand. He knew that Renji was trying to protect him and his reputation. He was going to have a long talk with Renji about that.

He sighed again. He had had plans for Renji this morning.

* * *

Kira had never mentioned his nightmares to anyone. It seemed so stupid and childish to admit that he had been getting them ever since his captain had left. He woke up that morning completely refreshed though, not having woken up screaming or panting even once.

The reason was obvious. Shuuhei was completely curled around him protectively, and Kira had never felt so warm and happy.

He began to go through his options on how to best wake Shuuhei up.

* * *

Ichigo woke up first, confused as to where he was. He saw the white head lying on his chest and remembered. They were both completely clothed, they had decided that last night, in an attempt to slow things down a little.

Toshiro woke up, raising his head to look into Ichigo's eyes, with the same temporary confusion that Ichigo had had.

They disentangled themselves and sat up.

"So, I guess we should talk or something," Ichigo said, running his fingers through his hair.

"Yeah," agreed Toshiro while he stretched, trying to sort out a kink in his neck. "Although, I think I want to go home and shower and change first."

"Hm, sounds good to me."

"We can meet up for breakfast in a little bit," suggested Toshiro.

* * *

It wasn't an unusual experience for Shunsui to wake up someplace other than his own bed. Through sleep glazed eyes he looked at the back of the head in front of him and sighed. It also wasn't unusual for him to sleep with women that looked like Jushiro. He yawned and wiped the sleep for his eyes, and saw that the hair in front of him wasn't light blond like he had assumed, but pure white.

"Mmmm," he said, pulling Jushiro to him tightly.

I think I'm just going to stay asleep awhile longer, Shunsui thought to himself, this is the best dream I've had in a long time.


End file.
